Furring strips at lowes

[LCHIEN]

Had to laugh. This is what lowes sells for lumber.

Their description

• High quality strip
• Strip for construction
• For basic interior or exterior structural applications
• Wood harvested from certified, sustainable forests

Their website product picture


This is what they had on the shelves.... I didn't touch or select anything for the photos.

[dbhost]

It's amazing what they are charging for low quality firewood these days...

[Jim Frye]

Furring strips have always been little more than something off of the slash pile. I've never seen one as shown in the product picture. They always look like the store shots you took. When I need them, I rip a 2x into strips.

[dbhost]

I've not needed furring strips thus far, but I think ripping decent 2x8 would produce much better results than those things....

[capncarl]

The last time I was shopping for wood in Lowes I overheard several of the workers talking. One said, you cut it , I’m not cutting it, the other replies I ain’t fast enough to get away. Finally their supervisor came by and asked them why they hadn’t cut the bands on that bundle of 2x4s? They replied they couldn’t find the cutters, so the supervisor took a couple of adjustable wrenches and cut the bands, the workers ducked as the boards crawled off the pallet like a box of octopuses. If their boards aren’t crooked when you bought them they will be by the time you get home with them.

[atgcpaul]

Wow, that is bad!

[cwsmith]

The lumber in the last few years has been beyond disappointing. I can't begin to wonder why. Is it just poor forest management or what? About six years ago, I remember looking for some 2 x 4's. I went to the locall HD and Lowes' and they weren't worth trying to sort through. So I told my wife, next week when we go to Painted Post, I'll check the HD out there. Slightly better but still no where near acceptable quality.. But, out there we also have a locally owned store, the Corning Building Company, somewhat like Home Depot with it's product variety, but smaller. There I saw several large bundles of 2 x 4's that were just about perfect. Few knots, no warp or even so-called live-edges. They were marked "Finland" and were less than a dollar more than the junk at the local HD.

In the thirty years I lived there, The Corning Building Company was where I bought most of the stuff we needed, everything from our kitchen cabinets to the lumber for the deck I built. Home Depot came to town in 2002, IIRC and was just across the river from where we lived. It had a greater assortment of tools, etc. and was easier if you just wanted to pick up a couple of pieces of lumber. At first the lumber stock wasn't bad and it was slightly cheaper than the CBC, but in the last several years the lumber has been terrible.

CWS

[dbhost]

Around here, is Kilgores Lumber Company, an Ace Hardware franchisee and fairly large construction oriented lumber yard. Full disclosure, that is where I worked while I was in college. The lumber is way better quality than the junk the big box stores Lowes and Home Depot sell, but it is also priced at a premium.

Then there is McCoys. Smaller than the giant box stores, next to no tools, very few plumbing bits and bobs but lumber selection is pretty good, quality is good, not as good as Kilgores, but still good, and slightly cheaper.

Then there is Lowes and Home Depot. Lumber quality is beneath bad typically. HOWEVER, they do offer some kiln dried 2x stock that if you select straight pieces, they stay straight. Plywood typically is okay but I have gotten some that liked to turn itself into taco shells...

If I have the budget for it, and can get there when they are open, I will go to Kilgores. If I have to get something done, and budget is being a problem, I will go to Home Depot. Lowes rarey gets the nod as their quality is as bad as Home Depot and they are typically more expensive. Although I do get plumbing parts from them as they, at least with the PVC / DWV stuff tend to be a bit cheaper...